One of the Novolog pens ceased working, a few weeks after we started using it. A typical dose was dialed up, the plunger button-mechanism depressed, but NOTHING came out of the needle. We switched out the pen’s tip, repeated the procedure, nothing (AGAIN). Had close to two hundred units remaining in it.
Called the company tonight, they walked me through the priming procedure, made certain it was not
"customer error". When they determined it was not something simple/caused by me… they offered to replace the pen… Again normal stuff : D and as they well certainly should… defective product… replace it.
Fine
Their explanation was that it was THE TIP causing the problem and not the defective plunger mechanism…
because, because…
we did not use THEIR exclusive needle tip, (Novo-Fine either the 30 or 22 gague 1/3 inch tip) therefore (because of that fact) the plunger mechanism failed…
Sorry kittens… if the tip, ANY tip worked on the pen,
and the plunger mechanism stopped working correctly
it is NOT the tip
N-O-T the needle pen’s tip
which caused the problem… chuckles…
Solely a manufacturing defect!!!
Anybody else encountered this manufacturing defect (and their ridiculous explanation) before ???
Yes!!! I’ve had this problem several times and was annoyed at the company’s response. One time a few years back, I had nearly an entire box of defective ones. Some of them would prime normally and work fine for a few days and then completely stop working but others had the problem immediately after priming. I could even see where the pen mechanism broke, so I KNEW it was a manufacturing problem and nothing else. I actually was using their “exclusive” pen needle at the time so they couldn’t pin it on that, and they just acted like I must have been moving them around too much or they had been dropped at some point but they did replace them.
I also had a similar problem with the Lantus pens multiple times (the plunger thing was stuck or something and I could barely move it to dial the amount of insulin I needed and it would completely stop half way through delivering the insulin) and they were less willing to replace it because priming it again and again DID help but it would get jammed nearly every time I went to do my morning or night injection.
Pens are so convenient (and even though I’m on the pump now I always like having a backup Novolog pen rather than carry around a vial) but it is really annoying when they fail!
I can believe their reasoning, based on my experience. Granted, I haven’t used a pen in several years. But when I did…
I was using certain tips for my one of my pens (can’t remember which, I had pens for NovoLog and for Lantus) and when I began using pens for my other insulin I was told that while the tips I was using would technically fit on my new pens, insulin may not be delivered. I tried it a few times out of curiosity and found that sometimes it would deliver, sometimes I couldn’t push down the plunger, and other times I could push it down but nothing would come out.
I then switched tips (again, sorry, can’t remember what kind) that were supposed to be compatible with BOTH types of pens and I had no issues. They didn’t fit any better than the other ones, so I never understood why they worked and the others didn’t, but that’s how it was. My CDE had warned me when I started using pens for my second insulin and gave me a RX right off the bat for the pen tips that were compatible with both, so it was a known issue.
I can believe it I’ve used novo fine pine needles, B&D pen needles and relion pen needles and have the same problem.
it’s not a pin needle problem its cheap made pens!
I’ve used levimer and Humalog pens never a problem!
If medicare and VA use Humalog pens I would be happy.
Next time you have these problems, let the mfgr know that you are about to file a report with the FDA. I’ve done that on pump issues. The mfgr will have some 'splaining to do when they get the letter from the FDA. You can report items on the FDA website…
Wow good thing I was not complete out of pens when this one did not work. I took my dosage and the plunger felt different. No resistance, check my sugar later and it was high. The plunger is not working and I have to call Novalog that is not open on the weekend to try and get a voucher!!! This is crazy it is defective and its a medication. Why is the FDA not doing something about this issue. Why isn’t Novalog doing something!!!
You can also use a regular insulin syringe to pull insulin out. I do this routinely because I don’t like the pen needless. This way, you won’t waste insulin.
I’ve had a few pens fail to deliver a dose. I keep syringes on hand when that happens, and draw the dose I need from the pen. It is inconvenient to have to do that, but better than not being able to access the insulin. I am now using novofine needles and haven’t had problems lately. When I had problems I was using BD or Sam’s club needles. It never occurred to me it could be a needle problem rather than a pen problem.
As a mechanic of 30 plus years, and full time tinkerer, I have run into these issues with pens from time to time, but me being me, had to figure out why, and how to fix it.
Firstly, 2 different things cause 2 completely different results. If you find your plunger hard to push, or impossible even, the most likely cause is the fact that the inner needle that punctures the rubber end in the vial simply isn’t piercing completely into the vial. The most common cause of this is the fine thread style of needle being “cross threaded”, and not actually screwing on far enough to pierce the rubber on the end of the vial. No hole, no insulin. If you cross thread the needle a bit, then take it off and start over properly, you might get lucky and it will work, OR, you may have bent the inner needle, and you have to toss it and get another one.
Another cause of this, when using the quick attach needles, is not turning them on fully until they click. Because of the nature of the coarse thread on these, a small turn equates to possibly a millimeter of penetration of the inner needle. Needle manufacturers keep these lengths to a minimum to save materials in manufacture, so they are designed no more than long enough.
As for the not moving the inner plunger, some needles I have had seem as though they bypass if you put too much pressure on the plunger. If you are pressing at an awkward angle, or simply pushing too hard, it feels like it just falls in, not administering a dose, which it is not. I found that a slow, easy pressure generally remedied this.
One VERY important note: NEVER use a set up designed for one brand with another, especially like if you changed from say, Lantus to Trujeo. The are completely different internally. Trujeo is 3:1 as strong as Lantus. If you put a vial of Trujeo in a non-Trujeo pen, you will dose with 3X the amount you intended. If ever in doubt, get your Rx changed to auto one piece pens instead of replacement vials. The Novo rapid pens are exceptional, as they are spring loaded internally, no long end coming out that is hard to use with one hand. Simply dial and put mild pressure on the end button, the spring pushes the plunger in for you.